


Christmas Tree

by Marie_Fanwriter



Series: Until the End [4]
Category: Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Christmas, Domestic Bliss, F/M, Softcore Porn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-25
Updated: 2017-12-25
Packaged: 2019-02-20 11:37:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,255
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13145877
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Marie_Fanwriter/pseuds/Marie_Fanwriter
Summary: Everyone needs a vacation from the hustle and bustle of saving the universe once in a while. Sometimes? It also happens to coincide with Christmas time on Earth.Stand alone oneshot in 'Until the End' universe.





	Christmas Tree

**Author's Note:**

> An epilogue of sorts for Stand Together. You don't need to read that one to understand this, but this is the same Shepard/Garrus. Initially posted over on FanFiction, but improved here!

Domestic Bliss - Christmas Tree   
  
It was a bright, sunny morning; the trees were still outside the triple-paned windows and covered in a fresh layer of powdered snow. It was beautifully quiet in the borrowed cabin, just the sound of a fire crackling in the main room cut through the silence. There had been and old-timey playlist in the background earlier, but it was long finished.

Shepard took a deep, soothing breath and rolled up her sleeves. "These dishes won't do themselves…" she muttered before getting to work. Filling the sink with warm soapy water and setting out a dish towel for drying two sets of morning dishes. The downfall of breakfast made of two different chiralities of food.

At this point, she almost wished they'd rented an upgraded cabin instead of using the offered venue from Kaiden’s family. All those months ago it seemed like enough to have electricity, running hot water and a high speed extranet connection. A lack of suitable washing unit seemed like a non event. The ex-Commander laughed, how wrong she’d been.

Halfway through the affair, her lack of attention while watching a few tiny birds out the window, feathers all puffed up from the cold, caused her to slosh a mug of soapy water towards herself. Her jade eyes drifted down the length of her body, mouth quirked in annoyance. The zip up N7 sweatshirt she wore was a little damp, but salvageable at least. The black tank top underneath was still dry as were her jeans.

The Great Commander Shepard, savior of the galaxy, reduced to dishwasher.

Despite herself, she laughed uncontrollably until she was joined by the cabin’s only other occupant. 

"What's so funny?" his deep, flanging voice came from behind her as he strolled into the kitchen. His strong arms wrapping around her waist from behind, his nasal plates pressing against her ear as mandibles fluttered against her cheek.

The human shrugged and dried her hands on a flowery dish towel before turning in his arms and wrapping them around his cowl. 

"What the hell happened to us?" She sighed, pressing her forehead against his crest and nuzzling into him slightly in a, very turian, gesture of affection. 

The ex-detective’s deep baritone chuckle against her made the tiny hairs on the back of her neck stand up. "Well that's a long story,” he began. “The short version is- you attempted to cook." Shepard huffed and playfully backhanded his chest which made him laugh a little harder. "Ok, ok. You successfully cooked." 

He pulled her into a tight hug, and she could feel him take a deep breath in against her neck. When Garrus pulled away he tilted his head in question, "Did you want to go out to look for a tree today?"

"You remembered." The red-head smiled, excited at the prospect of carrying out her childish dream. "Just let me finish up here then we'll go.” 

Humming in agreement, her partner pressed his mouth plates to the top of her head before he backed off. A thought caught her before him leave, and she grabbed his cowl with one hand and rose to the tips of her bare toes to press a kiss to his cheek, “You had better start getting dressed now; it looks like a chilly one today."

“Remind me again why I let you bring me to Banff?” he asked with a sarcastic tilt to his mandibles before he let her get back to the dishes and headed towards the front door to prepare.

Jade eyes swung back towards the skin, she had a job to do.

+-+-+

About twenty minutes later were the two of them leaving the cabin in search of their first Christmas tree. Hand-in-hand, they walked with snowshoes helping to keep them on top of the near three feet below them. They'd borrowed the cabin from the Alenko family for a week to get away from it all and fulfill one stupid little dream that Shepard had, had for years. It was their second vacation together; the first had been, as joked about so many times before, to  _ someplace tropical _ during their initial recovery.

The Reaper War had been devastating physically for the pair. Between the two of them, there had been enough damage to keep them out of the field even nearly two years later. Likely they wouldn’t ever be back to fighting strength, but improvements continued more and more over the course of time. Shepard’s limp was nearly gone, the artificial leg Miranda had built for her working like a charm, and most of her burn scars were healed over. There was still the persistent ache in her shoulder, but that was old hat by now.

Garrus had fared less well in recovery without the cybernetic aids that the Commander had, though without the immediate apparentness of Shepard’s own issues. Other than the massive scarring from Omega, he looked physically well. His weight had come back up to that of the average turian now that food stores were plentiful again, but he was without the overexaggerated bulk that he used to carry while wearing heavy armor for years on end. 

Internal damage still plagued him. Smoke inhalation and poorly healed sharnel wounds from the final push created constant issues for the tall turian. 

_ Sedentary  _ wasn't a good word to describe their lifestyle now, but it was close enough compared to their old lives. The pair remained active in the gym, though that was nothing in comparison with years of toting heavy armor and weaponry on the battlefield. Shepard had finished her workouts on occasion by collapsing in a heap on the mats. Garrus had similarly done so but with greater consequences. Where ice and a day or two off her leg would be enough, Garrus' collapse tended to result in a day or two in the ICU.

They walked through the snow covered forest in comfortable silence born of years together, snow crunching beneath their boots, birds chirping overhead. The pace was slow; neither of them had ever worn snowshoes before and it was a bit of an adventure in itself. Behind them, Garrus dragged an old wooden sled with chipped red paint and a twine rope that had been re-tied ten times over. 

It was perfect.

About a kilometer from the cabin they happened upon the coordinates Kaiden had given to the Commander when she mentioned wanting a tree. There were hundreds of pines, planted years and years ago by the Alenko family just for this occasion. Maintained by the locals who came here, replanting a new tree in the spring for each one they took home with them.

A couple of minutes after happening upon the farm, Garrus pointed to a large pine tree that must have been three meters tall. "How about that?" he asked with a goofy grin. 

Shepard just laughed, eyeing the tree and then the sled with disbelief. "And just how do you propose we get that back to the cottage? Let alone fit it inside? I think we need something a little different..."

The sniper turned to look at her, smile wry. "Says the woman who’s never had a Christmas tree before. We'll just cut the top off!"

The redhead gave him an exaggerated sigh in answer. "I may have been raised on a colony without evergreens, but I do know what a Christmas tree looks like, Garrus. You've never had one either... or do turians celebrate Christmas now?" 

Garrus shook his head, still smirking at her. Grabbing his thickly gloved hand, she pulled him along, deeper into the sea of green and white. "Come on, we will find one eventually."

Allowed himself to be dragged along, the ex-vigilante hummed in question at her. "I'm still not entirely sure about this tradition Shepard. Aren't trees meant to be outdoors?"

She humming in reply, mimicking his own sounds as best she could. "I've always wanted to have a traditional Christmas. Plus... once we get back we can have hot drinks by the fire and well… I'm sure you remember how much fun last night was."

Suddenly Garrus took off, jogging a few steps before turning around, "Well then what are we standing around here for?" Shepard laughed and darted after him. After a few minutes they slowed to a walk again, Garrus panting in the cold air.

Shepard reached a hand up to cup his mandible, encouraging him to slow to a stop. "Deep breaths, love." She took a few steadying breaths herself, "The air up here is thinner than the Citadel air we're used to."

He shivered, mumbling in reply. "Colder too." 

Shepard wrapped an arm around his waist as they walked, sharing her body heat with him. "I'm sorry, Garrus. We can go back and pick up a tree in town tomorrow…"

"No. We are going to do this right." He huffed before straightening up to scan the field. Pointing to a tree that was somewhat on its own, on top of a small hill, he asked, "What about that one?"

Shepard couldn't help the smile that came to her face, it was the same tree that she'd shown him when Garrus had asked about Christmas, a Douglas fir. The tree was about two meters tall, just about the same height as her turian. "It's perfect."

The sniper grabbed the manual saw from the sled he’d been dragging. "So… I've never done this before…." he led before stopping to glance between her and the fir.

His human chuckled. "Neither have I. I guess we should get some of the snow off before we start hacking away, right?"

"You can have that honour," he gestured towards the tree before crossing his arms over his keel and rubbing his hands up and down his arms. "I'm cold enough as it is.”

Without argument Shepard agreed, and he followed her up to the top of the hill and watched on as she started to shake the branches clear of the fluffy white powder. Once the retired Alliance officer was nearly finished she perked up at Garrus as his subvocals caught her attention.

“Although-” glacial-blue eyes fell down to the saw before he looked back up to catch jade-green, “-I don't think you hack with a saw…."

He caught a snowball to the chest for that one.

+-+-+

Walking back to the cabin was an uneventful affair, trudging along with their first Christmas tree tied down onto the sled that Shepard pulled behind them. Her mate had tried to pull it on his own, but Shepard had intervened under the guise of,  _ 'this is my tradition, on turian Christmas you can pull the tree home. _ ' He had given in without much of a fight.

While she knew that he hated feeling useless, she also knew that he wouldn’t quickly forgive himself if he thought he ruined their vacation by overdoing it. A hospital capable of handling turians was a solid hour shuttle ride away, and he hated hospitals.

Snow was just starting to fall as they arrived back. Tiny white flakes coming down from puffy grey clouds, the sun still shining between them. Together they carried the tree inside and stood it up in the great room by the fireplace. 

The Alenko's had left a box of Christmas decorations at the cabin, in which there was an antique metal stand, painted in sparkled green paint. After some fumbling around, they managed to set it up and the tree was ready to rest. They left two sets of wet footprints across the old oak floors that would need to be wiped up later and a fair number of pine needles.

Next began the arduous task of getting out of their outdoor clothing. Shepard stripped off her jacket, hat, mittens, boots and scarf in a matter of seconds, Garrus on the other hand? Not so much. 

"Need some help big guy?" she smirked while quirking her head to the side, cheeks rosey from the chill and just starting to warm.

Garrus was sitting down on a long wooden bench that sat alongside the door. “I’m fine,” he grunted as he pulled off his second boot.

She gave him a sidelong look and raised a brow. "Right..." 

Instead of backing off she smoothed a cool hand across his fringe, effectively pushing off his hood. As she pressed her forehead to crest her hands worked their way down his chest, unlatching the clasps of his jacket as she went. He melted into her touch, his hands wrapping around her waist and pulling her onto his lap. 

Without missing a beat she continued their suddenly intimate moment by kissing him deeply. Garrus moaned into her mouth as their tongues danced together, the act familiar after years of practice. 

Continuing her trek up his chest she was able to push the thick, down jacket down her lover's arms. He only broke the embrace for a second to divest himself of it, leaving it bunched behind his back on the bench. When he wrapped her up again he adjusted her into a better position over him, her knees hitting the dark, stained wood on either side of his thighs. The thermal layer was the next to go, both sets of hands worked at the other's sweatshirts. The zipper of the human’s N7 sweater came down easily and the clasps on Garrus' popped open just as fast. It was a frantic game to reach skin now.

Shepard shivered as a cold taloned hand snuck under her tank top and bra to caress her breasts. She broke the kiss with a throaty moan, her head falling back and she pressed her chest into his hand. The sniper smiled and tweaked a nipple between his talons. His other hand snaked its way around her lower back and lightly scratched up the length of her spine.

“You’re beautiful, you know that?” he whispered as his glacial eyes took her in. Without giving her time to reply, he pressed his mouth plates to her collarbone and left a trail of nips and licks along it, all the way up the length of her throat to her ear. “Absolutely gorgeous, Shepard.”

It wasn't long before her hips ground forward into his and she found the sensitive spot under his fringe with her talented fingers. Garrus' hand had reached the back of her head under Shepard's shirt and he pulled it off swiftly, throwing it to the side with the rest of their clothing. His last two layers followed her shirt and as skin pressed against bare hide and plate they both relaxed completely.

The last few years had been the toughest the galaxy had ever known; Saren, the Collectors, the reapers, recovery and rebuilding. Shepard’s death. The Archangel years. And it wasn't as though either of them had had it easy before that either, Mindoir... the Blitz. Hastatim.

No… life was never easy for this pair. But, if only for a few hours, they could let it all go.

Lips met plates again and wandering hands started to move further south. Shepard ran her blunt nails over her lover's shoulders and chest, chasing away the tension. Garrus had other ideas though, one hand still massaged Shepard's breasts, but the other efficiently unfastened her belt and jeans before a long taloned finger was able to ghost its way over her bud. 

The sniper couldn't help smirking when he heard the tiny intake of breath, "A little excited, love?" He chuckled, the rumble setting off another moan from Shepard.

She ventured from his mouth to kiss her way down his jawline. "Only as much as you," she murmured in between kisses before grinding her hips into his and into his hand. That got a groan out of him.

"Not fair. You've got the vantage point."

"Well then, you'll just have to take the advantage then. Won't you?" She teased before gently nipping at his neck. His groan lowered to a more constant rumble of pleasure and instead of flipping her like she thought he might, Garrus stayed put.

"I think I can make this position work," he pulled back from her slightly. "Just need these off?" He tugged at her waist band. She stood and obliged him, pulling her jeans and panties off in one go. Leaving her woolen, knee-high socks on, liking the fact they both kept her warm and made her feel like she was some kind of boudoir model.

While she was busy, he raised his hips and pulled his own pants and long johns off. The turian was quick to pull his lover back onto of his lap. "Much better," he said as he kissed and nipped her neck, stopping to bite lightly in the junction between her shoulder and throat. That got a hearty moan out of her.

Again her hips moved against his, this time his length wasn't restricted by his clothing and it came forth from his seam. Deft fingers played across the velvet skin and he relished the feeling. One of his hands kept her steady on top of him, his other found its way back to her bud and he drew lazy circles over it with his knuckle, ever mindful of the sharp talon tipping his finger.

As their breathing quickened in time with each other they moved again to allow Shepard to seat herself over Garrus' member. It was larger than a human males' but not impossible if she was prepared, and slick as she was he slid right in to the hilt. Both parties gasped at the familiar stretch and held onto one another for support. It didn't seem to matter how many times they coupled, it was always breathtaking. When Shepard was ready, she rocked her hips against him and started to move herself in slow deliberate strokes over him.

Large, three-fingered hands guided her by the hips, keeping the motion steady and deliberately slow. There was time for aggressive, quick love but not today. Today was for each smooth motion, every little hitch of breath, every sigh and moan. Today was for them.

When Shepard neared completion her movements became jerky and uneven as always, Garrus planted his feet a little firmer onto the floor and rocked into her more firmly, curling his phallus inside of her as he did so. The thrusts were shallow, but the angle was perfect to hit that glorious little spot every time. In a matter of five thrusts she was whining for her release, the one that only he could grant with just a little more stimulation.

She felt him tumble over the edge first, her tight heat constricting to pull the orgasm from him fast and without mercy. Thankfully his motions kept up as he came, mouth coming to meet hers as he nearly vibrated with a pleased, rumbling purr. While one hand kept her steady the other travelled back to her centre and he pulled her right along with him. 

Shepard came, long and hard. Her hands tightened almost painfully against his shoulders, her hips ground forward into his, and she constricted tightly around his shaft as she finally released. Another half thrust and Garrus slumped down on the bench, pulling his love tightly against his chest as he came down from the lover’s high.

After a minute or two of panting against one another Shepard pulled her head up enough to press her forehead against his. They embraced listening to nothing but the silence of the forest and the crackling of the fire.

This was truly domestic bliss.

**Author's Note:**

> Merry Christmas!


End file.
